🚀 go-pugleaf

Terry nospam Spragg wrote:
> 
> The only way to reduce gas prices is to reduce consumption.

Or... increase supply.  Of course, for the most part this is out of our hands,
as the recent price jumps are an indication that the latest OPEC production
cutbacks are being adhered to for a change.  However, there is one way for us
to increase supply, see below.

> Buy more economical cars, pool travel, use public transport.

Done, should do as the company grows, did today (but after being spoiled by
public transport in Europe, find Vancouver's to be pathetic in comparison)

> 
> As far as pooling is concerned, put up a sign at work. Advertise in the
> paper. Use a coordinator / despatcher to take reservations in advance.
> If you can't get a free ride, give one.
> 
> The prices were reduced after the gas crunch 15 years ago when more
> efficient cars became popular.  

Timeline's a bit off.  Gas crunch in '84?   More like '74.

> People forget, however, and now are
> buying big cars again.  We do it to our selves.

Can't disagree here.  "Mini"van my ass.  

> Buying  3 bucks worth at a time and paying with big bills will only
> burden the gas station employees; don't blame the minimum wagers for
> this.
> 
> But if everyone carried the minimum gas they could, and therefore got
> better mileage, not hauling all that extra weight, we could reduce the
> consumer inventory considerably, 

First, I'd have to calculate what 10 gallons of gas weighs, but it is probably
an insignificant percentage of the weight of the car.

Now, if people would just check the inflation of their tires regularly, we'd
save on gas.  

> transferring all that gas we don't
> carry around to the tanks of the retailers and wholesalers, making it
> look like a reduction in demand,

IMHO, this is ass backwards.  For one thing, we'd all be driving into gas
stations every day to buy this "minimum" amount of gas.  Sales, numerically
speaking, would appear to skyrocket (even though the amount of gas sold is the
same over the long run).

No, quite the opposite.  The biggest inventory of gasoline in a big city is
with us, in our collective gas tanks.  *THAT* is where our power lies, and we
in Vancouver have been using this power fairly effectively to help keep prices
low.  We've been in an on-and-off gaswar since August of '98.  We have learned
to keep our gas tanks FULL at all times when the price is low.   Then, when
the gas companies increase the price (in unison, as usual), *we* have the
power to increase the supply at the stations, as we all have full tanks,
"nobody" needs to buy gas for a few days to a week.  Sometimes after the price
increases gas stations look like they have tumbleweeds drifting through them,
they are so empty.  That doesn't just _look_ like a reduction in demand, it
_is_ a reduction in demand.  Sure enough, the price will start to drop.  Just
last week we had prices driven down to 49.9  (pretty high for Vancouver, from
Aug 98 to April 99 the prices were in the 36.9 to 39.9 range; cheapest I saw
was 28.5)



> but that will be only temporary. We
> also need to drive fewer more efficient cars less distance with smaller
> loads.
> 
> Hitch hike with a sign saying "Saving gas".  Bike. Walk. Stay home.

Dangerous, can be dangerous, walked halfway across Europe (it seems), boring.

> Don't 'cruise' or sight see.

Don't really "cruise", per se (driving up and down the same strip on a summer
night?)  

Sorry, not giving up "sightseeing"  

> Terry K

Dave (wearing the Underground Map T-Shirt) 2


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